The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner aims to assist organisations in so far as possible in understanding and meeting their responsibilities under the Data Protection Acts. Equally we seek to better educate the public in relation to their rights under the Acts.

In this respect, the Office receives a large number of requests to give presentations/training but, given our limited resources we can only respond positively to a limited number of them. We typically try to respond positively to requests where the "spread" of the audience is such that there is likely to be a significant multiplier effect from the presentation to a large number of organisations or people.

To assist all organisations seeking assistance in relation to data protection rights and responsibilities, we have developed a range of resources that we hope are helpful.

One key resource is our DVD "My Data - Your Business?" which illustrates how data protection principles apply in a normal business environment (public or private). It is accompanied by a "Facilitators Guide" which encourages group-discussion on how the data protection principles apply in practice in a particular setting. The DVD can be viewed and downloaded on our website (www.dataprotection.ie, under "Publications and Forms") and copies can be obtained for free from our Office.

We also have on our website some generic PowerPoint presentations which can be downloaded and adapted for use within a specific organisation (these are at www.dataprotection.ie under "Presentations").

Finally, we have some printed booklets "Guide for Data Controllers" which spell out the data protection obligations on organisations and "Guide to Your Rights" which outlines the rights which individuals have under the Acts. These are also available from our website, www.dataprotection.ie, under "Your Responsibilities" and "Your Rights" respectively. Hard copies are also available free of charge from our Office.

If there are particular questions that arise and that are not answered having reviewed the material available, we would be more than happy to try to answer them to the best of our ability by e-mail or phone.